At the beginning of the year, Dr. Rood given a sunflower seed with a cup of dirt. I was told to plant the seed and take care of the soon to be sunflower. His name would be Frankus for no praticular reason. I managed to grow the sunflower to the point that it became too big for its cup. I bought a new, larger, pot for Frankus. Look how tall he is!
I expect that he will flower some time soon. I am not able to take him on the plane back to Maryland, so i gave him to his godfather, Austin Thompson, for the break. The day he flowers will be a happy day!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Mitochondrial Eve
Mitochondrial eve refers the study for the most common mother between women today. This is because mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother without and genetic recombination or change. Because there is no change in mitochondrial DNA then there must be one person from which all mitochondrial DNA comes. The mitochondrial eve is estimated to have lived some 200,000 years ago somewhere in Africa. This follows the hypothesis that humans spread Africa conquering neanderthals.
This is similar to the study of the Y chromosomal adam and the human most recent common ancestor. In the Y chromosomal adam study the research was done to estimate how closely related every man is because of their most common male ancestor. This is possible because every man inherits a Y chromosome from their father thus their has to be a common ancestor. The most recent common ancestor studies have indicated that within 5,000 years everyone shares a common ancestor
Amphioxus
Amphioxi also known as lancelets are small animals that live in shallow watery areas near the sea. They are used as food in some countries for both human and livestock consumption. In zoology, they have become an important study facet because they provide indications of the origins of vertebrates. Lancelets split from vertebrates over 500 million years ago. This allows lancelets to be compared to modern vertebrates as a comparison for how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. The lancelet genome and vertebrate genome can be compared to see the change and how old genes have been used for new function in the vertebrates.
Hitichiti Experimental Forest
The Hitchiti experimental forest also known as the Brender demonstration forest is located north of Macon Ga. In the past the forest has was used by the hitchiti indians which would fire clear the land for plant and to herd animals for hunting. Then it was used as a source of timber and cotton. Now it is used by the USDA forest service as an active research facility.
The research forrest does research mainly on pine trees specifically the loblolly pine. For instance they are studying the effect of improper planting and also the effect of pre-commercial thinning of the loblolly pine. They also do studies on georgia specific insects and diseases, while studying the proper construction of commercial developments to reduce there environmental impacts.
Geology
Geology is the study of the rocks of the earth and the processes by which they evolve. The three main forms of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. These rocks are formed from each other through differing processes as well as unconsolidated material. Unconsolidated material comes from recent deposits and the study of these materials forms a specific form of subspecialty of geology called Quaternary geology.
The rock cycle shows the changes that occur between igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, and magma. Cooling magma and lava forms igneous rock which is the most present of the three in the Earth’s crust. Igneous rock can change to metamorphic rock through pressure and temperature due to the mineral content of the rock which then gives it a characteristic spacial and geometric configuration. Igneous rock can also be formed into sedimentary rock through erosion and the subsequent redepositing of the sediment. Both metamorphic and sedimentary rock returns to igneous rock through heating it enough to melt it to magma.
The Indian Mounds
The Ocmulgee National Monument is in memory of the people that have
inhabited the area for around 17,000 years. The mounds represent the relationship between soil knowledge and engineering techniques. The park was first studied by archaeologists in the 1930’s with the help of the WPA. The mounds were excavated finding hundreds of significant artifacts which lead to the establishment of it as a National monument in December 23, 1936. The park spans 700 acres including walking trails, historic sites and a small museum.
Making Biodiesel and Bioethanol
As most people probably know, common products can be adapted and used to make fuel, specifically diesel and ethanol. Biodiesel, as this type of fuel is called can be easily made from vegetable oil. Many laws now in several nations require their fuel to contain a certain percentage of biofuel. Biodiesel, once manufactured is a clean safe ready to use fuel that will work in any diesel system. Making biodiesel is a relatively safe and uninteresting process. It is a simple chemical reaction between a lipid, aka the vegetable oil, and an alcohol. Most often, biodiesel is blended with petro diesel and only makes up for less than twenty percent of the fuel in order to avoid any possible need for modifications or damage to the engine.
Another type of biofuel that is very common is bioethanol. Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from common agricultural crops such as sugar cane, potato, manioc and corn. Bioethanol is a mixture of ethanol, an alcohol, with these common crops. Much debate is raised however, over the actual effectiveness of this fuel. It is consumed much quicker than ordinary fossil fuel. Also, due to the subsidies the government pays farmers to grow these crops to be used for bioethanol, the price for those crops in the grocery stores has risen considerably. The government also requires a minimum percent of bioethanol to be mixed in with gasoline which raises the cost of gasoline even further. In addition, although this renewable resource reduces the use of fossil fuels, it requires a tremendous amount of farmland and creates incredible amounts of pollution while planting and fertilizing these crops. Therefore, the debate on the effectiveness and helpfulness of bioethanol is still very much up in the air.
Population Growth
Population growth can be modeled and tracked using the r/k selection theory which relates the selection of traits in an organism that tradeoff between quantity or quality of offspring. The relationship focuses on the tradeoff between the quantity of the offspring versus the parental involvement with the offspring. In the equation, r stands for the maximum growth rate of the population and k represents the carrying capacity of the environment. R-selected species place a high emphasis on a high growth rate and produce many offspring. Meanwhile, K-selected species have populations living in environments close to capacity, and produce fewer offspring that have a higher chance of surviving to adulthood.
When these traits are applied to humans, studies show that East Asians, who develop slower to full adulthood represent the K-selected species because they are living at near capacity, meanwhile, Africans more generally represent the r-selected species. Although, many scientists still doubt these hypotheses due to the very nature of the theory and its seemingly inapplicability to humankind.
The Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale is a fossil field located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia. The dig site is entirely black shale and many incredible finds have occurred at this world-renowned fossil field. This fossil field is estimated to be about 505 million years old and was just discovered in 1886 by Charles Doolittle Walcott. One impressive find from the Burgess Shale fossil field is the Opabinia. Fewer than 20 specimens of this species have ever been discovered. The Opabinia is a soft bodied animal of modest size, whose segmented body has lobes along the side and a fan-shaped tail. The head has unusual features, containing five eyes, a mouth underneath the head pointing backwards and a proboscis, which is in essence a straw-like appendage used to pass food to the mouth. The Opabinia was thought to be a creature of a completely separate phylum when it was first discovered. Being only between four to seven centimeters in length, the body was typically divided into about 15 segments. These animals were assumed to live on the surface of the seafloor and had gills inside each of the segments. Animals like the Opabania make it clear how little we all know about the past of our planet and how exciting it is to uncover new mysteries.
My Favorite Lake
My favorite lake would be a lake near my house back home that is called Dead Dog Lake. Legend has it that the owner of that property some years ago was a very lonely person. After his wife passed away, he was left with only his three-legged dog. He didn’t have very many friends either. So one day, while he was walking his dog, his dog slipped and fell into the lake. The man, afraid to lose another dear friend immediately jumped into the lake after his dog, which couldn’t swim because he was missing a leg. The owner also was not a talented swimmer, and while attempting to save his dog, the both of them were drowned. That is why the lake is named Dead Dog Lake.
The reason this is my favorite lake, is because almost every activity I did was around the lake. I played T-ball in the field right next to the lake when I was very young. My boy scout troop met in a building on the edge of the lake every week. When I ran cross country, many of our runs took us alongside the lake. I have been fishing there as well, although I never caught anything in that lake. Our high school football stadium was located just across the road from Dead Dog Lake, where I spent many Friday nights and spring days watching football and practicing for Track and Field. This lake held a pivotal point literally in my hometown and I have many, many fond memories of it.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Dr. Rood's Sugar High
Last week, Dr. Rood put on a presentation for the class to show how the human body reacts to the intake of sweets. His blood sugar level was recorded every five minutes. The data colected is shown in the graph below.
The x-axis shows the time (minutes) while the y-axis is the blood sugar level.
Insulin response is the reason for the body to react the way shown in the graph. When someone has a meal with many carbohydrates, blood sugar level increases and insulin is released. The carbohydrates get broken down into sugars and get transported to the muscles and fat cells by the insulin. While the blood sugar level decrease, so does the insulin level. This act of transportation continues until your blood sugar level reaches its normal state.
Insulin response is the reason for the body to react the way shown in the graph. When someone has a meal with many carbohydrates, blood sugar level increases and insulin is released. The carbohydrates get broken down into sugars and get transported to the muscles and fat cells by the insulin. While the blood sugar level decrease, so does the insulin level. This act of transportation continues until your blood sugar level reaches its normal state.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The 12 Soil Orders of the World
There are many types of soils in the world. Scientists have broken up types of soil into twelve orders. The orders range from soils formed from volcanic ash (Andisols) to soils that shrink and expand depending on the weather (Vertisols). To learn about all twelve orders, you can visit this site 12 Soil Orders.
The USDA soil taxonomy was created by the United States department of Agriculture in 1975. It defines the characteristics of the twelve soil orders and states where each type is most commonly found. The soil taxonomy has been constantly changing since then. The map below is an example of a map found in the soil taxonomy.
The USDA soil taxonomy was created by the United States department of Agriculture in 1975. It defines the characteristics of the twelve soil orders and states where each type is most commonly found. The soil taxonomy has been constantly changing since then. The map below is an example of a map found in the soil taxonomy.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Trip to the River
Dr. Rood took the class to the Ocmulgee River. We collected a lot of data including current speed and elevation. All the data we collected is shown in the two figures below.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Plants at Mercer
Paper Birch AKA Betula Papyrifera
Crape Myrtle AKA Lagerstroemia
Juniper AKA Juniperus
Mexican Petunia AKA Acanthaceae
Dogwood AKA Cornus
Azalea AKA Rhododendron
Zinnia
Angel's Trumpet AKA Maurandya Barclayana
Magnolia AKA Magnolioideae
Willow Oak AKA Quercus Phellos
Privet AKA Ligustrum
Elephant Ear AKA Colocasia
Larch AKA Larix
Chestnut AKA Castanea
Crape Myrtle AKA Lagerstroemia
Juniper AKA Juniperus
Mexican Petunia AKA Acanthaceae
Dogwood AKA Cornus
Azalea AKA Rhododendron
Zinnia
Angel's Trumpet AKA Maurandya Barclayana
Magnolia AKA Magnolioideae
Willow Oak AKA Quercus Phellos
Privet AKA Ligustrum
Elephant Ear AKA Colocasia
Larch AKA Larix
Chestnut AKA Castanea
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Anglerfish
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Maps
During the previous, Dr. Rood taught the class about different types of maps and the information that they project. Three different types of maps are shown below.
Isarithmic
Chloropleth
Dot Density
I even made a map of my own using Google Earth
Isarithmic
Chloropleth
Dot Density
I even made a map of my own using Google Earth
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